What’s in a Nickname?

Fraternity brothers aside, few segments of the population have more nicknames than professional athletes. Some are clever, others are not. Many are inscrutable. So it was a few weeks back when Mitch Holthus, the radio play-by-play man for the Kansas City Chiefs, referred to a Chiefs player as “The Honey Badger.” This was new to me and other listeners—and the naming happened so quickly that many fans couldn’t even tell which player Holthus was referring to. Online, suggestions ranged from Jovan Belcher, a linebacker, to Ryan Lilja, an offensive lineman. Never mind who got the name, where the heck did it come from? Perhaps it was an homage to Chiefs Hall of Fame linebacker Willie Lanier, “The Honey Bear,” who wrapped opponents with his upper body rather than spearing them with his helmet. This seemed plausible, until I noticed several references to Louisiana State University’s Heisman Trophy candidate, Tyrann Mathieu, as “The Honey Badger.” There were more. Members of the Boston Bruins had given the name to pesky winger Brad Marchand. Fans of the Oklahoma City Thunder wanted point guard Russell Westbrook, a premiere defensive player, to adopt the name. And a segment of Yankees fans had given it to C. C. Sabathia.

It’s not a bad nickname, on its face: sweetness, tinged with ferocity. (Though Matheiu, for his part, has said he doesn’t care for it.) But, still, where had it come from? The variety of players and sports involved seemed too diffuse for a single origin. To Google, then, where I found a YouTube clip that featured narration of National Geographic footage of the honey badger—Mellivora capensis—noting that the animal “really doesn’t give a shit” and “just takes what it wants.” Nineteen million people have watched the clip.

It’s always a bit humbling—or, perhaps, encouraging—to learn that one is behind the Internet times. But pop culture, digital and otherwise, has always been mined for nicknames. The football player Adam “Pac-Man” Jones got his from his mother, who said that Jones drank from his bottle as vociferously as the video game character ate digital dots. San Francisco Giants catcher Pablo Sandoval is the “Kung Fu Panda” because, well, he’s a little overweight. And All-Star first baseman Fred McGriff was the “Crime Dog” because his name looked like “McGruff.” The 1985 Chicago Bears, some of whose members are visiting the White House today (their initial trip was scrapped when the space shuttle Challenger exploded a few days after their Super Bowl victory) had plenty of nicknames on the roster: “Sweetness,” “The Fridge.” Best, though, was quarterback Jim McMahon, who wore a tinted visor and earned comparisons to a certain movie villain—Darth Vader—who had finished his trilogy of appearances two years prior.

As for “The Honey Badger,” knowyourmeme.com, the Internet’s semi-authoritative source on Web trends, explained the creature’s rise. (Forbes did too.) In April, the animal was referenced in an episode of “Glee.” A pistachio company ran a commercial on “Dancing with the Stars” featuring the honey badger cracking open nuts. Writing on the Washington Times Web site earlier this week, a commentator wondered if President Obama might do to channel his inner honey badger when dealing with congressional Republicans. And now, the creature had provided a nickname to athletes in all four major sports. Mystery solved.